San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán Indigenous Communities
Description
With Chiapas Viajes you will enter the heart of the Mayan-Tzotziles indigenous communities. No doubt an experience that you can not miss.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The spiritual and religious syncretism of San Juan Chamula will leave you impacted, although it is forbidden to take pictures inside the church, you can admire the pre-Hispanic rituals that the community performs in its venerated church.
In the beautiful community of Zincantán you will be able to admire how women weave the waist loom, as well as surprise you with their multi-colored embroidery. They will also invite you to their kitchen and you can try handmade tortillas and a traditional drink.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(22)
The visit to the church is very interesting and worth doing but the rest was average. We just passed through the other town by bus and we spent too much time in the fabric shop run by the women. This tour is good but the time is poorly managed.
Gracias por compartirnos su opinión. Nos alegra saber que la visita a la iglesia de San Juan Chamula le pareció interesante y que valió la pena. Lamentamos que el resto del recorrido y la distribución del tiempo no hayan cumplido con sus expectativas. En Zinacantán, la visita a la casa-taller de una familia local forma parte de la experiencia: ahí se explica el proceso de elaboración de los textiles, se conocen sus bordados y tradiciones, y se prueban tortillas hechas a mano y una bebida tradicional. La compra de artesanías es completamente opcional. Entendemos, sin embargo, que el tiempo dedicado a cada actividad debe mantenerse equilibrado. Tomaremos en cuenta su comentario para revisar la coordinación con nuestros guías y asegurar que las explicaciones, los recorridos por ambas comunidades y la experiencia artesanal tengan una mejor distribución. Agradecemos sinceramente su observación, ya que nos ayuda a mejorar la experiencia para futuros viajeros.
Excellent guide who explained everything very well in both English and Spanish. San Juan Chamula was particularly interesting.
We had a wonderful tour experience with Miguel. He was a fantastic guide—friendly, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable about the two communities we visited. Throughout the tour, he shared interesting insights about the local culture, history, and traditions, which made the experience much more meaningful. Miguel gave us free time to wander around and explore on our own, allowing us to take in the atmosphere at our own pace. During the ride between destinations, we enjoyed a pleasant conversation with him about the local communities and regional food, which added a personal touch to the experience. Miguel’s enthusiasm and expertise made the tour both informative and enjoyable. We highly recommend him to anyone looking for an authentic and memorable experience!
We really enjoyed this tour, the timing and communication was perfect, and the guide was very kind and informative. The sites were very worth seeing as they are unique to this part of México, and we were lucky to see the tianguis around San Juan Chamula and special processions in the churches that were happening the same day.
Great trip and great guide. He knew so much about everything and was kind to all
The most impressive was the visit to the church in Chamula. There we had about 20 minutes to watch the rituals of the shamans. Before that we were still in the village of Zinacantan. That would actually be quite nice to watch. But we only went there to a weavers' cooperative. The "time at leisure" is not spent in the village but in the sales room of the weaving mill. It was nice to watch, but the time there was too long for me. The information from our guide Miguel was good and interesting. He spoke good English. All in all, good value for money. If you are in San Christobal you can recommend the tour.
Not what I expected but for the price it was a worthwhile excursion from San Cristobal. It really wasn’t a guided tour as much as it was a drive and drop off to 3 different location - a textile co-op and a church in Zinacantan and a church in Chamula. The textile co-op was basically a house in a residential neighborhood that sold fabrics and clothing for sale. There was a demonstration of fabric weaving and opportunity for liquor and food tasting (coffee, beans, cheese, salsa and handmade corn tortillas). The food was delicious. The church was about a 20 minutes self guided stop and an opportunity to take pictures for $50 pesos with locals. The church in Chamula was a lesson in local indigenous customs and rituals complete with animal sacrifices. The formerly Catholic Church no longer offers services and most Catholics will be shocked to see the locals practicing their version of “Catholicism”. A guided narration would have been helpful.
The guide was very friendly and gave us interesting information. It was an enjoyable tour full of data that I did not know. We also thank the driver for taking us safely to each location. The church of San Juan Bautista in Chamula is something not to miss.
It was a special privilege to be allowed to witness the rituals of the tzotzil at iglesia de San Juan Chamula. A very special and moving experience. The guide was respectful and extremely informative. Learning about the Labour involved in the creation of textiles in Zinacantàn was really interesting and the women at the collective were so very lovely.
Le agradecemos que se haya tomado el tiempo de dejar su reseña, especialmente el servicio. Sin duda es una experiencia que muchos deben experimentar.
Fascinating to see how the textiles are woven in Zinacantan. Lots of beautiful items to buy. You know that everything is genuinely made by hand and you are supporting a local Co-operative. Chamula was a fantastic experience. We were there on Easter Sunday so there was a lot of rituals taking place inside the church. I loved the whole trip and our guide Miguel was excellent.
Le agradecemos que se haya tomado el tiempo de dejar su reseña, sin duda viviste una gran experiencia llena de cultura y misticismo
